This invention relates to an improved holder stick for confectionery products, and more particularly to improvements in a holder stick utilized with a confectionery product known as a candy apple.
A candy apple consists of an edible apple of the botanical family and genus Rosacea Pyrus, containing a hard, glazed coating of a generally red colored sugar-containing composition, and mounted on a holder stick. The candy apple is generally made by mounting a suitable apple on a holder stick, inverting and immersing the apple in a molten coating composition, withdrawing the apple, and applying a rotating motion to the stick which causes the cooling composition on the turning apple to form a reasonably uniform coating. The mounting of the apple on the stick is generally accomplished by causing a pointed end of the stick to enter the depression at either the top stem portion of the apple or the bottom of the apple, and inserting the stick a major distance through the apple within its core region.
Because they are perishable, candy apples are not usually manufactured in large numbers by machines or in special factories. Instead, they are generally hand-fabricated by the vendor on an essentially as-needed basis.
Holder sticks that have been utilized in the past have been wooden dowels conically tapered at one end to form a point. The point has constituted a safety hazard, particularly with respect to puncture wounds of the mouth or throat which may be sustained by a child who might fall with the stick in his mouth, or be otherwise struck during play in a manner causing force to be applied to the stick. The pointed sticks, after consumption of the apple, might also be retained by a child during play, and could cause eye injury to himself or others. Injury from splinters can also occur from wooden sticks. The holder sticks, after consumption of the apple, are sometimes carelessly discarded. This constitutes a slipping hazard because a round wooden dowel will roll underfoot, particularly on a flat floor surface.
The roundness of the earlier wooden dowel has also caused the apple to be poorly gripped by the stick. This causes problems during production of the candy apple because the inverted apple may slide off the stick and fall into the molten composition, or fail to rotate when the stick is turned; and it inconveniences the consumer because the apple may rotate about the stick, or may unexpectedly fall off the stick.
Improved holder sticks for various confectionery products have been previously disclosed. The following exemplary references and their shortcomings with respect to achieving the objectives of the present invention may be cited:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,623,926 to Kohler relates to a holder fabricated from a tubular member. The device, intended for use with frozen confections, and having no point or tapered end portion, is not capable of being forced into an apple.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,593,858 to Venable concerns a stick for use in holding a frozen confection such as ice cream. The several disclosed embodiments have pointed tips capable of causing injury to the user. Venable exemplifies round sticks capable of rolling underfoot, and flat sticks which could not be rotated by finger manipulation in the production of candy apples.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,469,589 to Barricini relates to an elastomeric stick for supporting confections such as candy and ice cream. Because the Barricini stick is non-pointed, non-rigid and not possessed of a round handle portion, it cannot be utilized for making candy apples.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,808 to Wagner concerns a flat stick used as a holder primarily for molded ice cream confections. The stick, being flexible and rounded at both ends could not be readily inserted into an apple. Neither does it provide a handle which can be rapidly rotated by finger manipulation.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved holder stick for a candy apple. It is another object to provide a holder stick having sufficient rigidity, and suitable shape on at least one end to penetrate an apple, without being pointed so as to be capable of readily inflicting puncture wounds to humans. A further object is to provide a holder stick having improved ability to securely hold an apple so as to minimize pivotal movement about said stick and sliding movement coaxial with said stick, and having reduced rolling tendency on a flat surface. Still another object of this invention is to provide a holder stick having a visibly discernible characteristic useful in gaging the depth to which said stick is inserted into an apple. Other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.